DEARBORN, Mich., Aug. 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Small is safe: Ford Fiesta earns Top Safety Pick
The 2011 Ford Fiesta is the first mini-car to earn a Top Safety Pick from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) since the introduction of a new roof strength test. The award applies to vehicles built after July 2010. The Fiesta is the eighth Ford Motor Company vehicle to earn the Institute's top designation - breaking a tie with Toyota for the most Top Safety Picks of any automaker. Fiesta's extensive use of high-strength steels, Trinity front crash structure, Side Protection And Cabin Enhancement (SPACE) Architecture® and advanced airbag technologies helped the car perform well in IIHS testing. more...
Wes Sherwood | wsherwoo@ford.com | 313.248.2335 Surprise shipment lands at Ford plant, finds new home at Detroit Zoo
A rare reptile, believed to be a stowaway in a shipment of auto parts from Mexico, has found its way to a new home at the Detroit Zoo. The Yucatan Spiny-tailed Iguana was spotted scurrying across the loading dock at Ford's Van Dyke Transmission Plant on July 29, and will now live at the Detroit Zoo. The reptile can only be found in a 1,200-square-mile range of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. more...
Marcey Evans | mevans13@ford.com | 313.322.9211 Accelerating electric vehicle battery testing with wireless monitoring
Ford is leveraging the Internet and wireless technology to accelerate testing and refinement of advanced lithium-ion battery systems that will power its upcoming plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles. Ford's rapid progress is enabled by two monitoring methods that allow engineers to collect real-time performance data from batteries in the lab and on vehicles in the field via the Internet, and wirelessly update system software to improve capability and durability. These proprietary methods significantly reduce test-fleet downtime and have allowed Ford to more than double its battery lab-testing capability. more...
Jennifer Moore | jmoor186@ford.com | 313.248.2335 Unexpected head-turner does the Woodward cruise
Among the tens of thousands of spiffed-up new and classic cars cruising Woodward Avenue last weekend was a rather unusual vehicle that was attracting a lot of attention. A Mustang? A vintage T-Bird, perhaps? No, it was a Ford Transit Connect. That's right. Dream cruising Woodward was Marygrove Awnings' Transit Connect, wrapped from front to back with the company's distinctive logo and sporting colorful, striped roof-mounted awnings that projected out on each side. Quite the head-turner, Marygrove's vehicle demonstrates just how far a little creativity can go with Ford's versatile compact van. more...
Anne Marie Gattari | agattari@ford.com | 313.323.7809 About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company , a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 159,000 employees and about 70 plants worldwide, the company's automotive brands include Ford, Lincoln and Mercury, production of which has been announced by the company to be ending in the fourth quarter of 2010. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford's products, please visit http://www.ford.com/.
Ford Motor Company
CONTACT: Mark Truby of Ford Motor Company, +1-313-323-0539,
mtruby@ford.com
Web Site: http://www.ford.com/
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